Brush deflector for bows



1960 H. c. STOCKFLETH 2,956,560

BRUSH DEFLECTOR FOR BOWS Filed Sept. 29, 1955 United States atent BRUSH DEFLECTOR FOR BOWS Harry C. Stockfleth, 2 Warwick Road, Chatham, NJ. Filed Sept. 29, 1955, Ser. No. 537,348

2 Claims. (Cl. 1'24-30) The invention relates in general to archery and has particular reference to an accessory device which is fitted on each end of a bowstring to fill the acute angle between the latter and the bow so that, when hunting in densely wooded or brush-grown areas, any low branches of trees or bushes which may accidentally penetrate the space between bow and bowstring cannot become wedged in the acute angle at either end thereof in an objectionably tight manner,

The prior art brush deflectors have inwardly presented fiat faces perpendicular to the bowstring that serve well enough to deflect caught brush lengthwise from the bow space but have the disadvantage that the bowstring will be rubbed and possibly abraded sufficiently to sever one or more of the twenty to thirty fine strands of which the bowstring is composed with disastrous results.

It therefore is the primary object of my present invention to improve upon the prior art brush deflectors by providing a structure that initially will deflect the accidentally caught brush laterally from the bowstring into contact with the comparatively invulnerable bow so that the latter alone will be subjected to rubbing con tact with the brush during complete release lengthwise of the bow by other deflecting surfaces.

To be more explicit, my improved brush deflector comprises a symmetrical body having an axial bore to receive the bowstring on which it is mounted, and this body is intentionally devoid of any flat face contiguous to the bowstring and perpendicular thereto which could hold the caught brush in rubbing contact with the bowstring during disengaging deflection from the bow space by other means for that purpose. The only external body surfaces that extend away from the inwardly presented end of the body bore are inclined instead of flat and perpendicular. The deflector body has an enlarged head portion outwardly presented for wedging engagement with the bow and bowstring when the brush deflector is assembled with the latter, and a tapered, inwardly presented, brush-deflecting stem portion that performs the initial lateral deflecting function.

Further objects, advantages and features of the invention will become apparent as the following specific description is read in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a small-scale side elevation of a bow, showing a pair of brush deflectors constructed in accordance with the present invention assembled therewith; Fig. 2 is a fragmentary side elevation of the same on an enlarged scale, showing the brush deflector at one end of the bow; and Fig. 3 is a cross-section on *line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig, 4 is a side elevation of a modified form of the device.

Referring now in detail to the drawing, wherein like reference characters designate corresponding parts in the several views, Fig. 1 represents a complete bow B having its bowstring S in strung condition after being threaded through the perforated pair of brush deflectors 10 constructed in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the invention. It will be observed that the two brush deflectors 10-10 are oppositely disposed, i.e. with their enlarged head portions outwardly presented and their tapered deflecting portions, or stems, inwardly presented.

The specific structure of each brush deflector 10 will be understood more clearly with reference to Figs. 2 and 3.

Roughly speaking, each brush deflector 10 comprises an integral body that is mushroom-shaped with an enlarged head portion 11 and a reduced stem portion 12, both of which preferably are symmetrical in form with an axial bore 13 through which bowstring S is threaded during assembly. Although brush deflector body 10 may be of any regular geometrical cross-sectiona1 form, it is preferred to make it circular in cross-section. In fact, it is to be understood that none of the details of external form and proportions which will hereinafter be specified are to be considered as being critical provided that the performance of desired functions is accomplished. For instance, the exposed face 14 of head portion '11 couid be that of a complete hemisphere, but it is preferred to give this portion the axial thickness of one-half the radius of the sphere to which face 14 conforms. The practical reason for this quarter sphere form is to facilitate indentation of the rim of head portion 11 by the bow to permit secure wed gin-g of the device into the angular space between bow and bowstring at the corresponding end thereof. A completely hemispherical head portion could not be indented to the same degree 4 and would tend to be expelled inwardly along the how string toward the center of the bow under some conditions of use.

At this point, it should be stated that brush deflector body 10 preferably is composed of rubber or material possessing similar resilient and flexible properties. Whatever the selected material may be, it should be sufliciently soft or flexible to yield readily to marginal indentation by bow B but sufficiently resilient to exert radial position-retaining pressure upon the bow and to become restored to its original shape upon being disassembled from the bow and bowstring.

Stem portion 1'2 of brush deflector body 10 is tapered from its area of juncture with head portion 11 axially to its nosing 15. However, whereas it is desirable to have nosing 15 convexly rounded to prevent undue wear upon contact with brush, it is believed that the more extensive surface 16 of stem portion 12 should be longitudinally concave. For best over-all brush deflection results, it may be desirable to have the generating line of surface 16 a parabolic curve with its maximum ordinate located adjacent to the rim 17 of head portion 11. A curvature of this character will merge with the plane of rim 17 in substantially tangential relation thereto. This relation is not critically essential but is desirable because a comparatively wide notch 18 is thus afforded between the root of stem portion 12 and bow B and this notch presents a smoothly rounded radial deflecting face 19 at the bottom thereof to aid free extrication of the brush after it has been deflected initially outward against the bow by surface 16 of said stem portion.

The operational use of a pair of brush deflectors on a bow equipped with them in the manner shown in Figs. 1 to 3 may be covered briefly. With the bow B held by its central handgrip, probably in a horizontal position, the tip portion of the branch of a tree or bush, or even tall weeds, may enter the space between the bow and its bowstring S. When this occurs, the bowman may never know about it due to the eflicient automatic functioning of the improved brush deflector 10 at the trailing end of the bow. As the brush reaches the trailing deflector 10, it will first contact the nosing 15 of stem portion 12 of the deflector and will ride past said nosing without appreciable resistance into contact with the inclined deflecting surface 16. This surface will deflect the brush laterally away from the vulnerable bowstring S toward the rugged and abrasion resistant bow B. Immediately thereafter, the brush will reach the comparatively wide bottom of notch 18 in which it usually will not become wedged, as would occur in the acute angle between a bow and its bowstring when no brush deflector is employed. Instead, it will be completely deflected by the relatively wide, well-rounded bottom face 19 of notch 18, which face is constituted by the area of surface 16 of stem portion 12 of the deflector that merges into rim 17 thereof. If a forked portion of the brush should happen to be encountered in a manner to offer some resistance to forward motion of the bow and this resistance is sensible to the bowman, a slight forward jerk should extricate the brush from notch 18.

In Fig. 4 there is showna modified form of brush deflector which differs from the preferred embodiment in the longitudinally straight form of deflecting surface 16' of stem portion 12', which deflecting surface is generated by a straight line instead of a curve. The nosing 15 of stem portion 12', deflecting face 19", enlarged portion 11 with its exterior face 14 and rim 17', and also the bore 13 of the complete integral device, all are identical in structure with the corresponding parts illustrated in Fig. 2.

It is to be understood that the present disclosure of the invention is an illustrative example and that various changes, modifications and alterations may be made in this structural embodiment which do not constitute departures from the spirit of the invention and scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A brush deflector for threaded application to the bowstring of a bow inwardly adjacent to either end thereof in frictional engagement therewith to fill the acute angle between said bowstring and bow, said brush deflector comprising a substantially mushroom-shaped body having an axial bowstring-receiving bore and formed with an enlarged bow-engaging head portion to be outwardly presented and a totally tapered stem portion devoid of any flat face perpendicular to and intersecting the bowstring bore to be inwardly presented with a longitudinally inclined exterior deflecting surface thereof .arranged to deflect brush that enters the space between bowstring and bow later-ally with respect to the axis of said deflector body from the bowstring toward the bow.

2. In an archery bow, a brush deflector for threaded application to the bowstring of said bow inwardly adjacent to either end of the latter in frictional engagement therewith to fi-ll the acute angle between said bow and bowstring, said brush deflector comprising a substantially mushroom-shaped body having an axial bowstring-receiving bore and formed with an enlarged bow-engaging head portion to be outwardly presented and a tapered stem portion to be inwardly presented with a longitudinally inclined exterior deflecting surface thereof disposed convergent to the bow and adapted to deflect brush that enters the space between bowstring and bow laterally toward the bow, which deflector body is completely devoid of any transversely flat brush-catching face intersecting the bowstring bore.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,617,402 Roemer Nov. 11, 1952 

